Automatic cigarette lighter mechanism

ABSTRACT

In an automatic cigarette-lighter mechanism, the spring-urged control key of the push-button type has a V-shaped extension, one branch of the V being attached to the control key and the other forming the pawl for driving the ratchet associated with the flint wheel. Possibly, a notch is formed in the key at the beginning of said one branch for receiving one end of the lever controlling the burner valve, notably in case of a lighter operating on gaseous fuel, so that the upper and lower end of said notch control the opening and closing respectively of said valve.

Chevallier July 23, 1974 AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE LIGHTER MECHANISM 5,506,387 4/1970 Dupont 431/275 [75] Inventor: Pierre Chevallier, Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, Jr.

' Sainte-Foy-Les-Lyon, France Attorney, Agent, or Fi rm KarI F. kos s ljerhert [73] Assignee: Establissements Genoud-& Cie Dubno Societe Anonyme, Venissieux, France [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Dec. 21, 1972 In an automatic cigarette-lighter mechanism, the [21] Appl spring-urged control key of the push-button type has a 'V-shaped extension, one branch of the V being at- [30] Foreign Application Priority Data tached to the control key and the other forming the Jan. 6, 1972 France 72.00867 p for driving the ratchet associated with the mm wheel. Possibly, a notch is formed in the key at the be- 52 us. Cl. 431/274 "ginning of said one branch for receiving one end of 51 Int. Cl. F23q 1/02 the lover controlling thobumor valve, notably in case [58] Field of Search 431/254, 274, 275 of a lighter operating on gaseous fuel, so that the upper and lower end of said notch control the opening [56] Referen e Cit d and closing respectively of said valve.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,111,522 3/1938 Aronson 431/275 2 Claims 2 Drawing Flgures T 5 4 l3 I I66 l l l 0 i hi 1 9 Z 5 I /I AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE LIGHTER MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to automatic cigarette lighters of the type comprising a pyrophoric flint for igniting the fuel, that is, wherein the actuation of the control key or like push-button member is attended by the rotation of the serrated wheel in frictional contact with the flint and by the opening of the cap or valve in the case of a lighter operating on gaseous fuel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART This invention provides a construction affording particularly simple manufacturing and assembling operations, wherein the serrated-wheel-driving pawl is formed unitarily with its spring and the plunger or pushbu'tton.

According to this invention, the pawl driving the ratchet associated with the serrated-wheel is obtained by injection molding from a suitable plastic material and is formed integrally (unitarily in one piece) with the control key or plunger; to this end, it comprises a pair of diverging branches strips, one branch being connected unitarily to the control key or plunger, the other or free branch having a length sufficient to impart thereto an intrinsic elasticity permitting the flexion of said other or free branch, for allowing the pivoting of the pawl finger in either direction of rotation.

In the specific application of a mechanism of this character to a cigarette lighter operating on gaseous fuel, one portion of the control key is notched and the notch thus formed is adapted to receive one end of the valve control lever, the top and bottom ends of this notch thus controlling opening and closing movement of the valve. The return spring associated with the control key therefore acts at the same time as a valve spring.

It will be seen that with this last-mentioned arrangement the gas valve opening movement begins after the first sparks have been produced by the flint wheel, so as to produce a retarded ignition.

A clearer understanding of this invention will be had if reference is made to the accompanying drawing illustrating diagrammatically an embodiment of the automatic cigarette-lighter mechanism as applied to a lighter operating on gaseous fuel. In the drawing:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 illustrates in vertical section the mechanism in its inoperative position, and

FIG. 2 shows the position of the various component elements after the control key has been depressed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In these FIGS. 1 designates the body of the cigarette lighter, 2 is the control key responsive to a return spring 3, the serrated flint wheel 4 being associated as is conventional with pins 5 fixed to the flint wheel and forming therefrom a ratchet wheel 5 and the flint proper 6 urged by a separate spring, the burner and valve assembly being designated by the reference numeral 8.

According to this invention, the control key 2 consists of a one-piece injection-molded element of suitable plastic material formed with an integral guide shank 9 and a V-shaped extension adapted to move in a well or notch 10 formed in the body 1.

One branch 11 of this V-shaped extension is adjacent the key 2 and the other branch 12 has a hook-shaped bent upper end or finger I3 constituting a pawl adapted to actuate the ratchet 5. I

Thus, when the user depresses the control key 2,.the pawl causes the ratchet 5 to rotate in the clockwise direction as seen in the drawing, thus driving the serrated wheel 4, the branch 12 of the V-shaped extension of said control key being caused to yield somewhat to per mit this rotational movement; when the control key 2 is released, it is moved upwards by the spring 3 and said branch 12 is bent again for clearing the next stud of the ratchet before resuming by its inherent elasticity its initial position (FIG. 1) to permit another actuation of the cigarette lighter.

When this mechanism is used in a lighter operating on gaseous fuel, a lever 14 fulcrumed to a pin 15 (which may be the same as the ratchet and wheel pivot pin) has one end engaged through a notch or aperture 16 formed in the control key 2 and in the branch 11 of the V-shaped extension of control key 2, and its other end disposed between a pair, of abutment elements 17 provided at the upper end of the burner and valve as sembly 8.

Thus, when the lighter is inoperative this lever 14 engages the bottom 16a of notch 16 and positively closes the valve of said burner and valve assembly 8, and in the operative or ignition position this burner and valve assembly 8 is brought also positively to its open position as a consequence of the pressure exerted by the opposite end 16b of notch 16 against said lever 14.

. What I claim as new is:

1. In a cigarette lighter having a striker mechanism comprising a flint, a flint wheel rotatable against said flint to produce an ignited spark, a ratchet formed on the flint wheel, a pawl displaceable for entrainment of said ratchet to rotate said wheel, and a plunger connected with said pawl for actuating same, the improvement wherein said plunger is formed in one piece with said pawl from injected molded plastic material having an intrinsic resilience and said pawl comprises a pair of mutually divergent strips 'of said plastic material unitarily joined at their junction with one of said strips unitarily joined to said plunger and the free end of the other strip formed as a finger engaging said ratchet, said strips being intrinsically flexible to permit deflection of said finger generally radially of said ratchet upon entrainment of said ratched by said pawl in a return movement of said pawl wherein said finger is cammed outwardly by said ratchet, said ratchet being formed by a circumferential arrangement of studs rigidly fixed to and projecting laterally from said wheel.

2. The improvement defined in claim 1 for a cigarette lighter having a valve for releasing a fuel gas, said. im-

provement further comprising a lever pivotally 

1. In a cigarette lighter having a striker mechanism comprising a flint, a flint wheel rotatable against said flint to produce an ignited spark, a ratchet formed on the flint wheel, a pawl displaceable for entrainment of said ratchet to rotate said wheel, and a plunger connected with said pawl for actuating same, the improvement wherein said plunger is formed in one piece with said pawl from injected molded plastic material having an intrinsic resilience and said pawl comprises a pair of mutually divergent strips of said plastic material unitarily joined at their junction with one of said strips unitarily joined to said plunger and the free end of the other strip formed as a finger engaging said ratchet, said strips being intrinsically flexible to permit deflection of said finger generally radially of said ratchet upon entrainment of said ratched by said pawl in a return movement of said pawl wherein said finger is cammed outwardly by said ratchet, said ratchet being formed by a circumferential arrangement of studs rigidly fixed to and projecting laterally from said wheel.
 2. The improvement defined in claim 1 for a cigarette lighter having a valve for releasing a fuel gas, said improvement further comprising a lever pivotally mounted on the axis of said wheel and engaging said valve, said one of said strips being provided with an opening receiving an end of said lever for displacing said valve upon depression of said plunger. 